The Town FC set the tone early with a 10th-minute goal, but couldn’t contain Vancouver’s high-functioning offense as the game progressed.
BURNABY, British Columbia – By the 10th minute, The Town FC had already taken an early lead thanks to a powerful strike off forward Aaron Edwards’ right foot against Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 at Swangard Stadium.
But the team’s early momentum couldn’t carry over to the rest of the match — as Whitecaps FC 2 (4-4-3, 16 points) responded in kind to end the first half to level the game at one — and eventually took full control in the second half, thanks to forward Jay Herdman, to win 3-1 on a rainy, Pacific Division showdown on Sunday.
The Town FC (3-4-4, 15 points) instantly faced adversity as regular starters, midfielders Cruz Medina and Beau Leroux, were unavailable for the match. Nonetheless, the Bay Area side applied early pressure right out of the gate and generated multiple scoring chances before finding the back of the net with just limited time elapsed.
Edwards’ goal — his third of the season — was assisted by midfielder Alexander Chow, for his second assist of the year. The goal was The Town FC’s first since May 12, when it defeated North Texas SC 1-0. Although the goal established early high-flying energy for the team, it came from The Town FC’s lone shot in the first half, speaking to the club’s offensive woes that have surfaced in recent games.
Vancouver was also missing one of its key contributors — leading goal scorer, forward Cyprian Kachwele. But even without its main catalyst, Whitecaps FC 2 managed to steer the pace of the game and hand The Town FC its second consecutive loss.
Down by one and nearing halftime, Vancouver midfielder Eliot Goldthorp — the eventual Adidas Man of the Match — fired a piercing, set-piece shot from outside the 18-yard box to even the game in the 40th minute.
Goldthorp had already led a plethora of offensive chances for his team, but his free-kick goal jolted energy into Whitecaps FC 2 heading into intermission. When the second half commenced, Vancouver continued to not miss a step.
Herdman gave Whitecaps FC 2 a 2-1 advantage by finishing off a quick attacking sequence with a shot that deflected off the leg of The Town FC defender Alejandro Cano and into the net in the 63rd minute. Herdman would strike again 14 minutes later, catching goalkeeper Jacob Jackson out of position and sliding into the ball to effectively put the game out of reach with another goal.
Jackson made his second start for The Town FC and struggled to contain the high-powering Vancouver offense. Jackson’s prior start came against North Texas SC — in which he posted a six-save clean sheet — but the 24-year-old couldn’t replicate his success against surging Whitecaps FC 2.
Goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer made three saves for Vancouver and earned his first victory of the season.
The loss puts The Town FC even with Portland Timbers 2 in the Western Conference table. Vancouver, victorious in three of its last four bouts, jumped The Town FC and now slots in at seventh in the conference.
The loss in Burnaby, British Columbia caps off an unsuccessful, two-game road trip for The Town FC as the team dropped both of its away battles.
The Town FC will benefit from having over a week off before returning to the Bay Area for its next match. Head coach Daniel DeGeer’s squad will take on Tacoma Defiance next, a team that it narrowly lost to on Apr. 25. The Town FC will look for a more polished defensive performance against Tacoma, a team with 22 total goals, good for second most in the Western Conference. The matchup will begin a stretch of games for The Town FC in which it won’t leave California until August 8.
The Town FC and Tacoma Defiance will kick off on June 11 at 5 p.m. at PayPal Park in San Jose. The match will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
MEDIA ASSETS
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MATCH INFORMATION
2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 3 – 1 The Town FC
Swangard Stadium
Sunday, June 2, 2024
Scoring Summary:
TTFC (0-1) – A. Edwards 10’
VAN (1-1) – E. Goldthorp 40’
VAN (2-1) – J. Herdman 63’
VAN (3-1) – J. Herdman 77’
Misconduct Summary:
VAN – E. Goldthorp (Caution) 31’
VAN – J. Herdman (Caution) 49’
VAN – M. Simmons (Caution) 68’
TTFC – A. Edwards (Caution) 86’
VAN – I. Boehmer (Caution) 90’ + 4’
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2: I. Boehmer (GK), F. Linder, B. Sjoberg, I. Mathe, G. Bovalina (M. Morgan – 79’), M. Mehri (L. Mackenzie – 55’), M. Simmons, J. Badwal, E. Goldthorp (D. Ilic – 90’), N. Fleuriau Chateau (M. Gherasimencov – 81’), J. Herdman (C)
Substitutes not used: J. Ndakala, M. De Souza
SHOTS: 16; SHOTS ON GOAL: 8; FOULS: 14; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 3
The Town FC: J. Jackson (GK), O. Verhoeven, S. Bilter, A. Cano, R. Ibarra (K. Oseguera – 87’), A. Chow (J. Spivey – 81’), E. Mendoza (J. Garcia – 74’), E. Blancas (C), R. Lynch, J. Donnery (D. Fregoso – 87’), A. Edwards
Substitutes not used: J. Nicolson, C. Arseni Metelitsa, S. Navarrete
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 9; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 5